VA report: Deaths not linked to wait times

A report from the inspector general for the Department Of Veterans Affairs found no conclusive proof that “clinically significant delays” at medical care facilities in Phoenix caused the death of veterans.

The inspector general faulted the VA for poor standards in scheduling doctors visits and providing health care for veterans but could not link the 28 most egregious delays to any deaths, according to the report, released Tuesday.

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The final report aligns with previous investigations from the watchdog office, which helped launch a scandal that cost former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki his post. The inspector general said in May it found evidence that employees, including senior level mangers, manipulated wait times to hide the delays faced by veterans seeking medical treatment.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced new initiatives to hire doctors and increased funds to study brain injuries.

After that report became public, whistleblowers suggested to the IG and Congress that up to 40 veterans may have died while awaiting care at Phoenix centers — a claim the inspector general said it could not prove.

But the report cautioned that even if no deaths were linked to delays, there were significant issues with wait times and mismanagement at the health centers.

“Our analysis found that the majority of the veteran patients we reviewed were on official or unofficial wait lists and experienced delays accessing primary care — in some cases, pressing clinical issues required specialty care, which some patients were already receiving through VA or non-VA providers,” the IG wrote.

The FBI is also investigating the delays for potential criminal activity, the report noted.

VA Secretary Robert McDonald wrote in the memo included in the report that the VA is “in the midst of a very serious crisis.”

“We sincerely apologize to all veterans and we will continue to listen to veterans, their families, veterans service organizations and our VA employees to improve access to the care and benefits veterans earned and deserve,” he wrote.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, called the findings from the inspector general “troubling” but expressed relief that no deaths were linked to the care.

“The veterans of our country deserve high quality health care delivered in a timely manner. Most veterans understand that, once they gain access to the VA, the quality of care is good,” said the Vermont independent. “Our job is to eliminate long waiting periods so that veterans can access VA health care when they need to.”

Sanders, along with House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), led efforts to reform the VA with a $16 billion legislative package. The pair crafted a bill to give broader authority to the VA secretary to fire underperforming senior managers and hire new doctors.